Lots of activities coming to Wassenberg

Visitors have until May 12 to view our annual High School Invitational. Please take a moment to check out the amazing work these young people are accomplishing.

We are proud to be a part of the duck sales for the Town Creek Live! festival. Win up to $1,500. The ducks will be racing down Town Creek at the fifth annual Town Creek Live on July 13! You may adopt your duck at the following locations: Main Street Van Wert, Collins Fine Foods, Brewed Expressions, Wassenberg Art Center, and online at www.wassenbergartcenter.org.

We have a great line up of goings-on planned. Town Creek Draw will be an interactive art exhibit where the whole community creates the art with giant pieces of chalk! In addition to our Duck Derpy, we will host Matthew Keeler & Friends (folk/bluegrass), Vanity Crash (pop/rock), and The Holbrook Bros. Band (classic rock). Lots of new and favorite gourmet food trucks will be joining us along with an ax throwing game and Eaton Cornhole Tournament. Stay tuned for more developments and potential surprises! 

We are proud to be included in the 2019 Peony Festival Garden Tour on June 8 and 9. While you can wander the grounds of Wassenberg Art Center anytime, join to the tour to see some of the most amazing gardens from around the community. Did you know the Peony Festival got its start because of our founder Charles Wassenberg? Mr. Wassenberg raised peonies on a farm outside of town and shipped them worldwide. While touring here, check out the huge flower show going on inside the gallery and be sure to check out the painting of the Wassenberg farm, by the late Lew Miller. 

On May 31, 6-10 p.m., we have quite the shindig planned. We will be opening our annual June Art Exhibit and handing out all kinds of awards. In addition, we will be having a gratitude ceremony for those who helped make our Art Park a reality. Joining us will be the Ben Daniels Band from the small community of Chelsea, Michigan! Ben is the son of actor Jeff Daniels and Ben’s group of six musicians play a great blend of original work and covers. We encourage all to attend and celebrate the vibrancy the Wassenberg Art Center is providing to the area. Free admission, appetizers and cash bar. We wish to thank the Van Wert County Foundation, Van Wert Federal Bank, and the Pond Seed Company for their generous support for this event. 

Have you checked out our art classes? There is still time to sign up for our newest upcoming! Arm yourself with your paintbrush or pencil and join in. We promise, our art classes are painless. Watercolor Class: ongoing. Tuesday mornings 10 a.m. Openings available.  Fee: $45 Regular, $40 WAC member cost.

ArtReach: After school art classes: Ages 7-11, Tuesdays; Ages 12 and up, Thursdays. 3:30-5 p.m. Sign up anytime.

Three Summer Art Camps will be held during the weeks of June 11-14, July 9-12. Instructor Emilie Fisher has lots of new exciting projects planned.

Our third art camp will take place the second week of August and will be something entirely different and special. As this camp will be based around a permanent project, it will be geared to older youth. Details soon! Young people ages 6-11 will meet at 10 a.m.-noon and ages 12 and up from 1-3 p.m.

ArtNight: Thursday 6-9 p.m. Bring a group of friends and a project and come on in. We have staff on-hand to help you out. Do you play the piano, an instrument, participate in a drum circle? Let us know, our stage is open! We often feature quick and easy projects, which are posted on Facebook. 

Our next Pint Night is scheduled for May 23 6-9 p.m. We will again feature live music by Chop Shop, and wonderful craft brews and wines. Details coming soon!

Stained Glass Basics II (wait list): Instructor Joe Balyeat. May 1, 8, 15: 6-8 p.m. Learn to cut and piece together glass for a basic stained glass piece. Design options available. You will learn the Tiffany-foil method of stained glass. Class is $40 for members and $45 regular for a 3-week course. Learn the basics for cutting glass, piecing it together, foiling and soldering. Materials included. Feel free to call to be put on the waitlist. Class attendance can fluctuate, so an opening may pop up. We will be offering a short stained glass 1-day workshop in June. Stay tuned for details.

We are super excited. Mark your calendars! Firenation Glass out of Toledo will be visiting the Wassenberg Art Center on August 24 with their mobile hot shop! They will be demonstrating the art of blowing glass. Opportunities to create your own glass item will be available. Stay tuned for details! 

Our gift shop is open year-round. We get new items all the time. Great options to purchase one-of-a-kind, unique items, crafted by artisans in the area for the people who are one-of-a-kind to you. There is always a need throughout the year to purchase for those special to us and to show them how much we care and find them unique by purchasing the same. 

For more information on exhibits or to sign up for classes and events visit the Wassenberg website above. 

Wassenberg Art Center is located at 214 S. Washington St. (former Van Wert Armory). We can also be reached by telephone at 419.238.6837 or email info@wassenbergartcenter.org.